Share this:

The Kondo Humanoid Robot just got a brain upgrade, thanks to the announcement of a new controller board, the KCB-1. Robots Dreams has the scoop:

The new KCB-1, which we assume stands for Kondo Controller Board, is a significant departure from it’s predecessors like the RCB-1 and RCB-3. For example, it doesn’t have two dozen servo connectors packed in tight on the board. Instead, it supports serial servos, specifically the Kondo KRS-4xxx serial servo series. It also features 6 general purpose programmable I/O ports, and 4 of them can be configured for PWM output

Of even more interest, the new controller board has 7 analog input ports. This is an area where Kondo has traditionally been very weak, and the RCB-3 took a lot of criticism because of its extremely limited sensor input specs. Kondo seems determined to respond to, and overcome, that weakness.

Kondo has announced two KCB-1 configurations. The first configuration (#03000) includes the controller board, starter CD-ROM including the SDK, and a serial USB adapter. This particular configuration will retail for 12,600 yen (roughly USD$115). The second configuration (#03002) comes without the serial-USB adapter, and will retail for 9,450 yen (roughly US$86).

Gareth Branwyn is a freelancer writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor for Boing Boing and WINK Books. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.